TO DO: Make this Sugar-Pull-Apart-Bread for tomorrow's breakfast

From my new favorite website, Joy the Baker. Must make this Sugar-Pull-Apart-Bread recipe tonight and bake it in the morning. Can't even wait!

Wouldn't this be great for a Sunday morning brunch? Click on the link for the recipe. Oh Joy!

Real Simple's How to Write the Perfect Note By Amy Spencer

Real Simple's How to Write the Perfect Note By Amy Spencer

Professional Pumpkin Carving at Unversity Village

This afternoon my daughter and I walked by a fantastic display of pumpkin carving at University Village. Dan the Pumpkin Carver was carving a child's face into the gigantic 500 pound pumpkin in the middle of University Village. It was a good rendition of the winning picture submitted in a contest the Village hosted this week. How fun to have your face carved into a pumpkin!

And then I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sweet little bird taking a break from the rain and perched on the railing of the kids' covered playground.

Tomorrow University Village offers Trick-or-Treating from 4-6PM for kids up to 11 years old.

Beautiful Orange Cross Spider

This afternoon I almost stepped on this Orange Cross Spider on the sidewalk but am so glad I missed it! As I reached down to take a picture of it as it quickly crawled across the sidewalk, it must have sensed me. It stopped as if to pose for my camera. It was beautiful with a perfect white cross on its back. After looking it up on the web, I learned that it's common now in the Northwest and across the U.S. and Canada. The University of Washington's Nature Mapping Program website offers interesting information about the spider. Fun facts!

Special Harry Potter Exhibit at The Pacific Science Center

My kids love Harry Potter. I mean LOVE the whole series. One of mine has read every book at least a dozen times. Sometimes as soon as she's done with one, she starts it over again. So when we heard that the Pacific Science Center was hosting a special Harry Potter exhibit, we of course had to go see it. We went on opening night and all received Potter glasses which we dutifully wore in the exhibit. Kids were dressed in their robes with wands, scarves, glasses--the whole bit.

When we went in, a few kids including one of mine were lucky enough to experience being "sorted" into Hogwarts Houses--mine got Ravenclaw. The process was very clever. Throughout the exhibit, there were movie screens with clips from all of the movies relating to the particular section in which we were standing. Each of us had an audio tour device which had behind-the-scenes interviews with the producers and set and costume designers. There were over 200 authentic costumes from the movies and displays with real props from the movie sets. We went through the Great Hall, Hagrid's Hut, the Gryffindor common room, to name a few. We saw props such as Harry's original wand and eyeglasses, the Marauder's Map, Gryffindor school uniforms, and costumes from the Yule Ball. 

There were tons of costumes from different aspects of the six movies. Some of my favorites were the Quidditch costumes, Quaffles, Snitches, Bloedgers, and other Quidditch gear. There were interactive displays where you could shoot hoops with Quaffles, pull out/harvest screaming Mandrakes, meet Buckbeak, sit in Hagrid's huge chair, and see the giant spider. There was a room full of beautiful food from the feasts in the movies, Yule Ball costumes, and lots of the candies and treats from Honeydukes and Weasley's Wizarding shop.

At the end of the exhibit there was of course a store with lots of HP inspired gifts including wands, games, stuffed owls and other animals, clothing, books, and candies such as Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans, Harry Potter Chocolate Chocolate Frogs and Fudge Flies.  My kids came away with a writing set and quill and ink, and they've had a blast writing beautiful letters with them.
 

I have to say I wasn't expecting the exhibit to be all that interesting for me but I was very impressed and had a great time. The details were incredible. Actually I loved it too. It was a great family experience and one which I would highly recommend if you have any Harry Potter fans in your house. The Science Center did a wonderful job with the whole thing. The only downside is that my kids want to go again.

The exhibit runs through January 30, 2011. Tickets are reasonable if you have a membership to the Science Center (tax deductible!), and a family membership almost pays for the difference between full price tickets for a family of 5. 

The Space Needle on a cold, crisp October night with the moon behind it was quite a sight too.

Carving Halloween Pumpkins

I admit it. October with the turning of the weather into crisp, clear days (or in Seattle mostly rainy, gray days), leaves turning orange and gold, and Halloween is one of my favorite months. Decorating for Halloween, carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin seeds and pumpkin bread just says Fall to me. Here are a few of my favorite October activities.

 Of course my teenager had to make a pumpkin being sick--but it's rather clever.

The carving templates offered by Spookmaster are simple and fun to use like the trick-or-treating monster.

 Make sure to save and roast your pumpkin seeds after you clean out your pumpkins. It's so easy to do and makes a delicious, healthy anytime snack. Here's a recipe but I just spread the seed out on a foil lined baking sheet with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and brown sugar. Mix and stir periodically at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes and voila!

My all-time favorite chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe. My kids love it and it makes a great hostess gift or dessert.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
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3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, spices, soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. Grease and flour three loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.  Freezes well too!

Savvy Bake Sale Tips from Amy Atlas Events

I'm always being asked to bring baked goodies to the frequent bake sales that my daughter's orchestra holds at every concert. They rely on the proceeds for that extra needed funding for instrument repairs, competition trips, sheet music, and more. As I love baking, it's an easy way for me to contribute.

I just ran across this article in the October 2010 issue of Parents Magazine with tips from Amy Atlas for making your next bake sale more successful. Amy's basic message is that smart and beautifully presented packaging (she's a pro) can add to your bottom line. Some of her ideas are shown below. Click on the link below to see more. I'll definitely try the darling cupcake cones. The mini rice treats and bar cookies (who knew that bar cookies are best sellers?!?) are easy ones too, and packaging them with my favorite wrapping paper in neat little wraps is brilliant. Plus, it's great for my kids to help bake or make the treats and design the packaging so that they see how their efforts can help a cause that has meaning for them. Love it!

Click here for great Bake Sale recipes and display tips from Amy Atlas.